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Abstract: This paper presents a detailed empirical description of airport connectivities in four major multiple airport cities (London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco). Our analysis draws on data derived from a previously largely untapped information source, i.e. the so-called ‘Marketing Information Data Transfer’ (MIDT). This dataset contains information on actually flown transnational routes, which allows for a thorough assessment of the chief connectivity characteristics of specific airports. Combined with information derived from a number of other sources, our results point to functional divisions among airports, both in terms of their geographical scale (e.g. national, regional, and international airports) and their specific role in the airline network (e.g. origin/destination versus hub airports). The implications of the results are discussed, and some avenues for future research are considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents information on the 1910 flight that pilot Glenn Curtiss made from Albany, New York to Manhattan, New York City. The 152 mile flight took Curtiss five hours to complete and the field from which he took off later became the state's first municipal airport. It details how his progress was followed by telegraph as he made his way down the Hudson River and discusses his place in aviation history.